Video and partial transcript of Dean's speech on C-Span, Ironworkers Int'l

[madfloridian]

Thanks to Renee at HEP for her great transcription efforts. Here is the link to C-Span, and the video is under Recent Programs.

http://c-span.org/

And here is part of the speech as transcribed by her:

Just this past weekend, the chairman of the 9/11 Commision said essentially that the number one job of the President of the United States and the American government is to keep Americans safe here at home, and if that isn't happening, the president's not doing his job. And I submit to you the president is not doing his job. And we need a new direction to defend America (applause).

First, we need to invest in Homeland Security. And Homeland Security means adequate screening at airports, but it also means taking care of our nuclear power plants, it means taking care of our chemical factories and our petroleum factories. It means making sure our train stations are safe, and it means putting real money, as the Democrats proposed and the Republicans said no to, putting real money into intelligence *inside* the borders of the United States of America, so *we* don't end up having what Britain had this past week.

Secondly, real defense of America means investing in America. Half a trillion dollars going into Iraq--what could that do for our healthcare system and our education system? What could that do to make sure that American jobs stay in America? That is part of homeland security, making sure American jobs stay in America. (applause)

One of the things I care deeply about defense, is how to treat our troops properly. The truth is, this president goes and has photo-ops with our troops, flies to Baghdad, had Thanksgiving dinner with the troops, but those guys got sent over there without proper vests. Those guys got sent over there without adequate equipment. If we're going to send troops to defend America, the Democrats believe that they ought to be fully, and adequately equipped--do not skimp on the people that are defending and willing to sacrifice their lives for the United States of America. (Applause, whistles, cheers)

So, here we have the results of the president's foreign and defense policy. Iraq is now sliding into civil war, according to the testimony of the leading general there. Iran and North Korea are more dangerous today than they were 5 1/2 years ago. The Taliban is coming back in Afganistan, partly because we don't have enough troops there, partly because they're in Iraq. And after 5 years, Osama Bin Laden is still free.

http://howardempowered.blogspot.com/2006/08/howard-dean-on-c-span-partial.html

[madfloridian]

1. More from the first half of the transcript.

"I know most people in this room have pretty good healthcare, but I also know that you're under a lot of pressure for give-backs. And there are a lot of people in industries, even unionized industries, that don't have such good healthcare. And the truth is, your healthcare's pretty expensive, and that's one of the reasons there's pressure on it. And why is that? Because every year that President Bush is in office, at least a million more people go without healthcare, and you are paying that bill through cost-shifting. The fact is, we need what 36 other countries in the world have. We need a system of health insurance that covers everybody. (Applause)

And this isn't some progressive idear or some liberal idear or some Democratic idear. You know why we're going to have one? No matter how long the Republicans stay in office, in spite of them, and everything they do to try to kill healthcare for middle class people. You know why it's going to happen? Because we are going to lose *jobs* without it. When General Motors and Ford can't expand in this country, because the healthcare system doesn't work for them and they can't control the costs, that is time to go to a healthcare system that includes everybody.

Tried to do that three times. The Republicans have tried to undo what we've done three times, and this time we're going to succeed. First, with a Democratic Congress in 2006, and with a Democratic President of the United States in 2008. (Applause and cheers)."